


Rumors Say

by happyjjae



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - still in school, Bad boy Juyeon, Fluff, Jock Eric, Just 4k words of me imagining Juyeon with lip piercings, Juyeon looks absolutely sexy here, M/M, Oneshot, Poor parental relationship, Romance, Self-Indulgent, Smoking, Tbh I wrote this as a tribute to Juyeon’s new undercut, alley fights, juric, really cliche
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25775278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyjjae/pseuds/happyjjae
Summary: Thanks to the constant rumors spreading around the campus, Lee Juyeon has been known by multiple names. A rule-breaker. A troublemaker. A really bad boy.Quite frankly, those should have been enough to drive Eric away from the boy’s path. But through the five encounters they have, he finds himself having certain feelings for the school delinquent.
Relationships: Bae Joonyoung | Jacob/Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae, Heo Hyunjoon | Hwall/Kim Sunwoo, Lee Juyeon/Son Youngjae | Eric
Comments: 18
Kudos: 170





	Rumors Say

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first ever post on ao3! Cue the confetti.  
> I’ve been wanting to post here for the longest time and finally I have. So please enjoy this very self-indulgent oneshot of me imagining what it’s like to have bad boy Juyeon. 
> 
> (I also wrote this as a tribute to Juyeon’s new undercut bc honestly, just- ugh.)

The name Lee Juyeon is like a mantra, as stories - _of God knows what he’s done this time_ \- spread like wildfire along the crowded hallway. The man, aside from being painstakingly good-looking, is known for many things, most of them bad. Skipping class, vandalism, being a god in the sacks, you name it, Juyeon has probably done it.

That's what the rumors say, at least, but they were enough to stick a big fat label indicating that he was nothing but a delinquent. The faculty hated him, men wanted to be him, and women, countless, countless women wanted to sleep with him. Eric, however, was a little unsure about what he felt. After all, he only ever had five interactions with him, and each one left him feeling differently.

The first time he met Juyeon was when the latter transferred during their junior year. It was a warm day, and the schoolyard bustled with students moving about to greet the friends they missed during summer vacation. Eric was one of them.

“You, god, you grew a couple of inches from the last time I saw you.” Sunwoo said before tackling Eric and giving him a nuggie. He came with his boyfriend, Hyunjoon, who opted to be more civilised by offering a sympathetic nod towards the blond. “Good to see you, man.” to which Eric replied with a groan.

“You’re so dramatic, Sunwoo.” Eric huffed once he escaped Sunwoo’s grasp. He ran his fingers through his now-messy hair, attempting to salvage what he worked hard to style this morning. _So much for looking good on the first day of school_ , he thought. “Besides it’s not like we haven’t seen each other in ages, you live in the same apartment building as I do.”

Sunwoo probably replied with something funny and quick-witted, as he always does. But Eric wouldn’t know. His attention was nowhere near the red head and was directed towards the sexy-looking black motorcycle that had just pulled up a couple of feet away from where he stood.

“Wow.”

Hyunjoon whistled, “Wow is right. Look at him.” (“Hey!” Sunwoo pouted as his boyfriend watched the newbie. “Sorry, honey!”)

Him. Eric wasn’t even looking at the man riding the cycle. But when he did, he couldn’t help but gape at the sight _because how the hell could he have missed that_? As cliche as this sounds, it was as if everything went slow-mo as the man took off his helmet and ruffled his inky, blue hair. He looked like the bad boys you’d see in movies with the leather studded jacket, black jeans and military boots, but _absolutely no one_ , Eric swore, could have pulled it off as well as this guy did. He didn’t even know he had a thing for bad boys until now.

The man clutched his black helmet in one arm and slung his backpack on his shoulder before making his way towards the school entrance, which Eric realized a little too late, was where he was standing.

He was still staring when the stranger passed by, only to snap out of it when the latter paused in front of him with a smug grin on his angular features. “You might want to wipe the drool off your face.” He said, pointing to the corner of his lips, right where a small piercing hung.

 _And his lips were pretty too_ , Eric thought. He liked how the corners lifted up in a never-ending smile. It was only after a few seconds passed that he realized what the stranger had said. “Hey, I do not drool!”

But he had already gone inside. Eric felt as if his face was on fire from embarrassment. He quickly dabbed at his lips, wiping off the nonexistent drool. He tried to ignore the laughs he received from Sunwoo and Hyunjoon.

—

The second time they met, Eric already knew the stranger’s name, as he was quick to make himself known to the school body. A couple of weeks in and Juyeon was already causing trouble. Being late, talking back to teachers, not to mention coming in class with the occasional black-eye or bruised jaw; rumors were pretty quick to spread after that.

So it was no surprise when Eric spotted him smoking on the school rooftop one night after his baseball practice ended later than usual. Juyeon sat quietly, his long legs dangling without a fear by the edge. He was surrounded by wisps of white smoke, looking at peace as a lit cigarette hung from his fingers. His signature leather jacket lay beside him, leaving him exposed in a black-and-white striped tee that made him look like who he really was behind the black clothes and piercings, just a boy.

He didn’t know what came over him at that moment, since he was never one to break the rules (and staying after hours on school grounds unsupervised was very much breaking them), but his feet dragged him up the stairwell until he reached the rooftop.

Eric was rendered speechless when he found Juyeon, looking very real as his piercing dark eyes stared back at him. The aforementioned lit cigarette hung from the non-smirking side of his lips. Quickly, he took the stick from his mouth, letting out a long exhale as he closed his eyes.

True to Eric's usual self, he found himself entranced by the other male, noting the little details he hasn’t noticed before: Silver hoops on his ears, the undercut he was sporting (that was new), and the heavy-looking rings that decorated his big hands. _Goddamnit he’s hot_. Eric thought before freezing. _No, wait, stop._

“If it isn’t our baseball superstar, Eric Sohn.” Juyeon mused, his eyes dancing with intrigue. “Didn’t think you’d be one to break rules. Did you come for a puff?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he pointed at his cigarette.

Eric shook his head. _Oh, god. Say something, anything!_ He screamed mentally, trying to wrestle with himself to form a coherent thought. “Sooo, you come here often?”

Juyeon scoffed, shaking his head at the younger’s words. Eric would have done the same if he were in his place. “Didn’t realize that I was in a bar where cute boys could give me their cheesy one-liners.”

“You think I’m cute?”

He shrugged, “Perhaps, but I’m certain you think the same towards me.”

Eric raised both eyebrows, blinking at _the audacity_ this man has to declare what he’s been denying to himself all this time. “Bold of you to assume that I think about you at all.”

“Funny, because I’ve caught you staring at me not once, but twice now.” Juyeon chuckled, clearly amused at the sight of the blond boy getting redder by the minute. “What, are you just gonna stand there all night?” He motioned to the spot beside him on the ledge. “Sit.”

So he did. Eric sat beside the boy as they watched the stars appear one by one. They were quiet, if not for the occasional puffs Juyeon let out as he smoked. What else did they have to talk about? They had nothing in common. He was himself, and Juyeon was the bad guy everyone either hated or feared. And yet the silence that settled between them was comfortable, their presence making the other less lonely even with the lack of conversation. 

Still, the scent of tobacco made Eric scrunch his nose, which Juyeon easily caught. 

“You good?”

“Yeah, it’s just- I don’t smoke.”

Juyeon gave him a long look, his dark eyes softening as he gazed at the other boy. He let out a sigh before grinding the tip of his cigarette on the concrete where they sat, effectively putting it out. “There.”

“Thank you.”

Juyeon only hummed in response before looking at the night sky. 

_Curiouser and curiouser_ , Eric wondered as he stared at the boy. Maybe there was more to him than he thought, and this was just the beginning. 

—

The third time they met had been different from the previous encounters, and it happened after news of Juyeon’s latest adventure had made its way across campus.

Eric was on his way out from his last class of the day when he heard the sound of arguing coming from the principal’s office. He went to his locker to return his books, as well as get to a closer proximity to all the action. 

Eric nearly jumps out of his pants as the door suddenly bursts open. A fuming Juyeon came out, followed by a middle-aged man dressed in what seems to be an Armani tuxedo. If it weren’t such a serious situation, Eric would have thought it was ridiculous how contrasting the two looked. But the other boy was on the verge of a break down, so he figured that laughing wasn’t the best course of action right now. 

“Again? This is the fifth time I’ve been called to the office.” The older man, who Eric assumed to be Juyeon’s father, said. He didn’t seem to be at all bothered by his son’s behavior, only by the fact that he’s been disturbed from his appointments. “You know I don’t have time for this.”

“No, you don’t have time for _me_. You never do.”

“Throwing tantrums, now are we?” He sighed, dialing a number on his phone. As he waited for the other line to answer, he stared at his son. Disappointment clouding his gaze. “You were never like this when you were younger, Juyeon. You were such a nice boy. What happened?”

“Maybe if you actually gave a shit about me, I would have turned out better!” Juyeon snapped, his lips trembling as he faced his father. “Maybe if you didn’t spend all your time on business trips trying to forget about mom, you would have seen the crowd I hung out with. She already left us for another man, dad. If you keep ignoring me, abandoning me for your stupid company, then you’re just as bad as her.” 

His father shook his head before waving him off, as if he was nothing but a mild inconvenience. “Just clean up your act, young man.” The other line must have picked up, because soon enough, his father was on his phone, talking about stock rises and dips, his hurting son forgotten and alone on the empty corridor. 

A guttural scream rose from Juyeon’s throat, before he moved to hit a locker, leaving a hard to ignore dent. He kept punching, and punching, and punching, until he broke down, sobbing. He slid to the floor, hugging his knees as he leaned back on the wall. 

Eric watched quietly as an empty pit settled into his chest. Of course, he had an idea that Juyeon was someone else beyond the bad boy facade he let on, but he never would have imagined that it was a boy who felt so much pain and loneliness. A boy who only _wanted to love and be loved_. 

He had been staring too long. 

Juyeon’s sniffles died down, and his breathing soon became even. He wiped his tears, only to find a pair of eyes staring back at him. 

Eric felt like his heart was about to come out from his chest. He expected another outburst, he expected Juyeon to be angry at him for eavesdropping. 

However, Juyeon only shook his head, offering a sad smile as if to say _I’ll be fine, I just need to be alone_. 

Eric knew better. As fast as he could, before the other could complain, he wrapped his arms around him, burying his nose into the boy’s familiar blue hair. 

“I’m here.” He muttered, rubbing small circles on Juyeon’s back. The older boy relaxed in his arms, leaning in closer to feel his warmth. 

He had never felt like this before, and Eric understood. 

—

Juyeon was never one for school events, Eric figured. School spirit, sports games, those didn’t exactly fit into his bad boy image. 

The fourth time they met was brief, and Eric was, let’s say, more than surprised. 

It was after his baseball game, and he had just delivered the game-winning home run. 

“Damn, Eric is the man!” Hyunjae, his teammate, hollered. He, along with Jacob, hoisted him up on their shoulders, carrying him as they went into the crowd of students celebrating their win against their enemy school. 

Hyunjoon and Sunwoo waved in the crowd, waving a banner that said “Go Bulldogs!” with a drawing of their school mascot. Eric waved back. 

He felt as if he were on cloud nine, and he wasn't just referring to the adrenaline high that he was still riding from the game. Eric's name resounded across the field as everyone cheered. “Eric Sohn! Eric Sohn!”

He grinned, clutching the trophy as he cheered along with them. But as he scanned the area, he spotted a lone figure at a dark corner of the field. 

Juyeon sported a black bomber jacket, paired with a white tee and dark ripped jeans, and _my god, did he look good_. Eric gasped as he saw him take out a small “Go, Bulldogs!” flag from his pocket, and he felt his stomach do a couple of backflips. 

The other boy grinned, waving the flag once as he watched with twinkling eyes. _School spirit was never his thing, but if he sees Eric happy like that, then maybe he could get along with it_.

—

The fifth time is today. 

Eric walks home after a gruelling day. He had missed the bus this morning, proceeded to flunk his calculus test an hour later and then got scolded when he tripped during yet another practice that ended late. Nothing went his way. 

So when he bumped into a strange woman and passed by an alley where a bunch of thugs lounged, he cursed his damn luck. The universe must have hated him today. 

“Hey, you.”

He tried to pretend not to see them in the first place, clutching the straps of his backpack tightly as he walked away, eyes casted down. His hairs stood from end to end, and his heartbeat started to elevate. This was bad, he had to get out of here. 

“You got some nerve touching my girl like that.” 

“Look man, it was an accident. I don't want any trouble.” He said, raising his hands. But one of the thugs took this as an opportunity to grab him harshly and slam him to a wall.

“LET GO!” Eric screamed as he writhed, struggling to even loosen the grip that those monsters had on him. “P-please, it’s hurting me!” 

“You fucking private school kids walk around thinking you own the place.” One of them hissed before landing a solid punch on Eric’s gut, causing the blond boy to fall on the ground, clutching his stomach. “This is my terf, buddy. You're not so tough, are you?”

Eric felt like vomiting. He tried to scan his environment for something, _anything_ he could use to protect himself. But all he can see are empty dumpsters and menacing faces holding weapons like shattered beer bottles and old baseball bats. He was alone, unarmed and helpless. So he squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for another hit. 

“Leave him alone.” 

Eric opened his eyes to see Juyeon, seething in anger, standing a few feet from him with his fists clenched. “Juyeon!”

The boy turned, his cat-like eyes immediately filling with worry before hardening with what seemed to be resolve. “Eric, go.”

“But-” _I can't leave you here_.

“Now.”

He nodded and ran as far as he could with his shaky legs. Eric sat at the corner of the street, hugging his knees to his chest as he tried to calm himself down. From the distance, he could still hear the sound of punches being thrown and he couldn’t help but worry about Juyeon. 

Who he left all alone to fend for himself. 

_Shit_. 

So despite the logical part of his brain begging him not to do it, he runs back. 

By the time he arrived, the brawl was already over. Fresh blood splattered all over the walls. Eric tried not to think about the fact that some of it could be Juyeon’s. 

As quietly as he could, he wandered back into the alley looking for any sign of the boy. But to his luck, he found nothing. Even the thugs must have already ran off. He almost gave up, but the sound of hissing, as if from pain made him pause. So Eric follows the sound, and finds Juyeon leaning on his motorcycle, nursing the new bruises and wounds he gained from the fight. 

“Hey.” Eric breathed, his heart beating faster once more. But this time, it wasn’t out of fear for his life. 

Juyeon looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. “You’re still here?” 

Eric nodded before approaching the other boy, taking his cracked knuckles in his smaller hands. He didn’t miss the way Juyeon winced as he brushed over the fresh wounds. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Nothing a little bandage can’t fix.” He shrugged, avoiding the younger boy’s gaze. 

The latter noticed a small kit lying on the motorcycle’s seat. It was filled with antiseptic wipes and what he assumed to be wound-healing ointment. “You seem prepared for these kinds of situations.”

A soft chuckle escaped from his lips, “When you get into as many fights as I do, you learn to patch yourself up on your own. No one else is there to do it for you.”

“Not today.” Eric replied as he gently put down Juyeon’s hands. “Let me fix you up.”

He cupped the tall boy’s face, leaning in to take a closer look at the wound on his lips, right beside the piercing (which he just cannot stop looking at damn it.) Eric grabbed a wipe before lightly dabbing it on his lips, which caused Juyeon to flinch. “That hurt!”

“Oh my god, you are such a baby.” 

“Is that how you thank me for coming to your rescue?”

“Ugh, will you just stay put? I am trying to help you.” 

Juyeon just groaned, rolling his eyes before letting Eric clean his wound again. 

Eric stared at the other boy’s lips, which was more jutted out, thanks to his pouting. But in all honesty, he thought it was cute, how Juyeon appeared to be big and bad, only to end up whining over little things. His gaze towards the other softened, as he slowly felt affection seep into his chest. “Thank you.” Eric whispered, making sure to be extra careful not to hurt him this time.

“You’re welcome.”

In no time at all, Juyeon was patched up and Eric was just about ready to get home. It was already 10 pm that night and buses had already stopped making their rounds. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Juyeon asked, crossing his arms as he watched Eric prepare to leave.

“Home?”

“Uh, huh. There are no more buses at this hour.”

“I know, I was gonna walk.”

Juyeon scoffed before shaking his head. “Nope, not letting you do that. It’s late, Eric. What if you run into thugs again?”

It was Eric’s turn to cross his arms. “Oh, yeah? What should I do then, genius?”

“I am so happy you asked.” Juyeon beamed before gesturing towards his motorcycle. He quickly got on, starting the engine. “Hop on.”

“You expect me to ride that death trap? You don’t even have a spare helmet!”

“Wear mine.”

“What if I fall off?”

“You won’t.”

“What if I’m too heavy?”

“You’re not.”

“What if...”

Juyeon sighed, running a hand through his hair out of exasperation. Because Eric was hella cute, but, _christ_ , he talked too much. “Look, do you want to get home or not?”

Eric looked at the cycle, and then at Juyeon who watched him with an expectant gaze. They held the staring contest for a couple more second before Eric's shoulder slumped, giving in to the leather-clad boy's suggestion. He huffed before taking the helmet. “My mom’s gonna murder me.”

A few minutes later, Eric was yelling “HELL YES!” at the top of his lungs as they sped through the near-empty freeway.

  
  
  


“Hey, this isn’t my home.” Eric said, as he untangled his arms from Juyeon’s waist. _No shit, Sherlock_ , he thought, scolding himself for that dumb statement before Juyeon could. 

Juyeon parked at what seemed to be a forest near the hills. Trees surrounded the area and there seemed to be no houses or buildings in sight. 

“I know.” Juyeon nodded, ruffling his wind-swept hair to give it its usual rugged style. Eric noticed that this was a habit of his whenever he got off his motorcycle. He admits that there was a certain charm to it. “I have something to show you.”

The two of them went deeper into the trees with Juyeon leading the way. They seemed to be going nowhere until the path eventually cleared, exposing a small clear area overlooking the city. 

“Wow,” Eric mumbled as he looked at the view. At night, the view was incredible. The lights illuminating the streets and buildings stood in a beautiful contrast with the night sky, and it was enough to take his breath away. 

“I know.” Juyeon said, sneaking a glance towards him, a smile making its way into his features. He laid on the ground before gesturing for the other boy to do the same. “Come here.”

Eric chuckled before following.

There they were, two beautiful boys laying side by side on the ground as they looked up at the sky. And just like in their second encounter, a comfortable silence settled between them. 

But Eric had far too many questions to stay quiet.

“Why did you take me here?”

“I don't know.” Juyeon shrugged, turning to look at the boy, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I just wanted to show you this part of me.”

“I don't even know the other parts about you.”

“After what you saw in the principal's office, I'd argue that you know _too much_ about me.”

“Not the important stuff though.”

“Uh oh, like what?”

Eric grinned, “Like what are your hobbies? Aside from brooding and cruising on your motorcycle.”

“Rumors about me are always going around, aren't they?”

“Yeah, but I don't like listening to rumors. Besides, they don't seem like the real Juyeon. Not from where I'm standing.”

“Really now? Because it seems that when people think of Lee Juyeon, trouble immediately comes to mind.” 

“Not to me. When I think of Lee Juyeon, I think of this guy-”

“Who's devilishly handsome?”

“Who's really cocky, but nice underneath the gruff exterior.”

Juyeon laughed, pretending to be offended as he clutched his chest. “Man, you spend years building a reputation only to be called nice. That shit stings.”

“You didn't answer my question.”

“What?”

“Your hobbies?”

“Okay, but don't laugh!” Juyeon said, before taking in a deep breath. Eric made a show of zipping his lips, promising to be quiet. “I like to read. I recently just finished Demian, but I read Nietzsche too from time to time.”

“Wow, now that's interesting.”

The next couple of hours, they spend just talking, revealing little parts of themselves that they would have never told anyone else. It was with each other where they felt safest. So when Eric suddenly stopped laughing, Juyeon felt a surge of concern. 

“What- what's wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Eric took in a deep breath as he admired Juyeon's features. His long lashes, his eyes, and _his lips_ , _god_. His gaze lingered on the older's lips, specifically on the piercing that dangled on the corner. To him, it looked irresistible, more so with each second that passed. 

“You know, rumors also say that you're a good kisser...” 

“And?”

“And I've always wondered how it feels like to kiss someone with a lip piercing.”

He chuckled, gently cupping the sides of Eric's face. “Do you want to find out?”

“Yes.”

Juyeon gently plants a soft kiss on his lips, as if testing the waters. Only when the younger boy doesn't pull back does he press his lips longer, closing his eyes as he slowly moves; his lips a perfect fit with Eric's. 

The latter closed his eyes as well, feeling delirious as he focused on nothing else but the sensation of Juyeon's soft lips brushing against his. He could taste a faint hint of tobacco, he could even feel the metal piercing dig on his lips. But he didn't mind, not when he was being kissed _so good_. 

Juyeon pulled away, a smile growing on his features. While Eric let out a sigh, his eyes still closed as he gathered the right words to say. “Huh.”

“Huh what?”

“That was good, but I thought you'd be rougher than that.” Eric teased. 

“Maybe next time I'll show you, baby.” Juyeon laughed, pressing a light kiss on Eric's temple as they settled in for a night under the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!
> 
> If you want to drop by, come find me on twitter @ohemjaes. I’d love to chat, plus I write there too.


End file.
